Friday, January 02, 2015

Getting Yamaha Disklavier Piano and DKVBrowser and Virtual PRC to work with Mac's Yosemite System

UPDATE 2/19/2021:  The DKVBrowser discussion groups are now being conducted at Google Groups.  You can search by "DKVBrowser" to find a place to join for current information. 

The DKVBrowser software written by Kevin Goroway has been revised to meet the needs of users for their Disklavier Mark IV pianos recently.  The software had not worked on my latest Mac laptops due to system updates that were not supported by DKVBrowser.  The software had recently not worked on the latest Windows computers due to changes in system and other updates.  At some point the underlying architecture of DKVBrowser (Eclipse RCP) became unsupported/incompatible.

A new version is currently being tested by members who are part of the Google Group who post info about DKVBrowser and Disklavier.   

I was successful in loading the new DKVBrowser 3.0.2 onto a Mac laptop running High Sierra and one running Catalina.  I have been testing the Mac version of this software and find that it is running successfully for most functions.  It is nice to have the DKVBrowser to run playlists, play tunes at scheduled times and to have all the easy editing techniques and features that Kevin has shared with us.  I certainly hope many will consider the Donate button to show appreciation for his generosity and talents in keeping a means to play our beloved Disklavier Mark IV.

 

Original Article for reference:  https://grannyjoans.blogspot.com/search?q=virtual+prc

 "The Many Avenues to Controlling My Mark IV Disklavier"

 

 

 Original Post from Jan 2015 below:

With every Mac system update, I have to test not only old programs or applications, but also some other devices and equipment to make sure they still function.

The DKVBrowser application I use to edit songs, create playlists, and control my disklavier from my laptop seemed to have a problem after installing Yosemite 10.10.  But, luckily someone posted a solution on the yahoo forum.  Basically, the application needed the Java SE 6.0 runtime module installed on my Mac.

Download of Java can be found here:

After downloading this version (which includes the correct SE 6.0 runtime module), I installed it on my Mac laptop.  The java module can be accessed from the Systems Preferences.  There are some settings that may need to be changed to have another desktop application called Virtual PRC to run properly on your Mac.
Figure 1

After installing the java runtime, DKVBrowser made an excellent attempt to connect to my piano.  Due to the fact that the IP address for my piano changes everytime I lose power or unplug it while away, the IP address had to be corrected in the DKVBrowser settings and tested for connection.   See DKVBrowser application preferences window  (figure 2).

Figure 2

In the past I have been able to type in the DKV##### number for the IP address and usually the IP address is determined automatically.  I then selected test.  The piano was still not found. This time I had to actually find the IP address to put in the edit field.  (It may also be possible that this problem happened due to the fact that my piano had also been disconnected from the airport express box near the piano.) Anyway, I was able to find the IP address eventually and DKVBrowser ran successfully -- my piano is functioning -- playing my favorite playlist.

Next on the schedule was a test of the Virtual PRC java script that puts a virtual remote controller on my Mac screen to use to control the piano - like the real one that comes with the piano.

Figure 3
If you are having problems getting Virtual PRC to run correctly after the Yosemite install:

1) Make sure your piano is connected to the internet.  My disklavier is physically connected to an Apple Express box that is near the piano.

2) Place any previous 'prcstart.php' or 'prcstart.php.jnlp' file you have used into your trash can on your Mac.

3) Click on the DKV##### icon under 'Shared' column on left of the Finder window.  Double click on the 'DNA' folder on the right-hand side of the Finder window. Double click on Virtualprc.html file or open in a browser like Firefox.  (Note: I use Firefox to run this file as I have previously had problems with Safari and Chrome working with this file.)
4) You will need to enter a username (root) and password (prcstart).  Follow the steps below for setting up and downloading a new prcstart.php file for your desktop:
Figure 4

5) After clicking on Save, a file should be downloaded to your Mac. The name of the file should be prcstart.php.jnlp -- if not -- then add the extension .jnlp to filename -- if you see only a file named 'prcstart.php'

 6) If you double click on that file, it should run the virtual PRC (see Figure 3 above).

7) If you get some error message about security blocking the app, then you will need to change the settings in the Java control panel.   This Java control panel can be accessed from Systems Preferences (under Apple icon in menu bar).  Open the Java control panel by clicking on the Java icon in the Systems Preferences panel.  See Figure 1 above.

8) Select “Security” tab from top of panel.   From here you will be able to allow for reduced security and run this java prcstart.php.jnlp file successfully.

Figure 5  

You can add in the IP address for your piano into the Exception Site List edit field.

Figure 6
 

Or, you can change the level of security to medium.  This will still display a security warning before any such files are run, but you can choose to ignore the security message and run anyway. 

Figure 7


 
 I chose to adjust the Security Level to medium as my IP address changes when I unplug from power or have an outage.  All works fine now with Yosemite System update.

Update notes for El Capitan are in the comments below (click on comments).  Please check second comment for info on correct Java 8 Version that is needed to get Virtual PRC to work with El Capitan System for Mac.  

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Moving Files (epub) from Mac to iPad

In my endless effort to find an app to transfer epub books to and from my Mac to my iPad without hooking up cables or using iTunes sync, I have found a fantastic app called "Flick" that is easy to use and currently free for both.

The Flick app for Mac OS laptops and computers can be found here:  Flick app for Mac OS.

The Flick app for iPad/iPhone can be found here:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flick./id644265534?mt=8

The website instructions and descripton are given here: http://getflick.io/

Within nano-minutes, I was able to install both apps, tap on an epub book on my Mac laptop, flick it to top of my menu bar, select it on my iPad and open with iBooks.

Have to give this one an A+ rating for ease of use and convenience.  There also appears to be an Android and Linux version.

I was able to successfully transfer an mp3 file, epub file, and jpg without a problem.  Enjoy!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Using Documents App (by Readdle) to transfer epub files to iPad

Today, I downloaded an app called "Documents" by Readdle.  "Documents" is a full-fledge ePub reader, similar to iBook.  The reader option has font size adjustment, bookmarking, and searching options.  It is a very good app that is similar to another favorite app, GoodReader.  I use GoodReader currently to transfer ePub books from my Mac to my iPad using a USB cable and iTunes -- dragging and dropping books into the GoodReader app. 

"Documents" also allows me to transfer PDF and ePub books from my Mac to my iPad via iTunes, just like I do currently with GoodReader.   "Documents" offers an additional way to transfer my files employing a WebDav method.  A local WIFI connection via web browser is used.  The nice thing about this is that files do not have to be uploaded to the cloud to be transferred between devices and you do not need to connect a USB cable between the devices.

To get the "Documents" app for your iPad, click on this link:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/documents-by-readdle/id364901807?mt=8&uo=4&at=10l6UJ&ct=docs_desk_bot

Transferring files (audio, mp3, txt documents, ePubs, PDFs, and other file types) from a Mac to an iPad utilizes the following steps:

(1) Run "Documents" app on your iPad.  Tap on the "gear icon" in upper left-hand corner of the app screen.  Tap on Wi-Fi Drive and take note of the URL given in the text.  For example,  http://10.0.1.2



(2) On your Mac computer, run a browser (Firefox is good) and type in the URL.


(3) A message will appear on your iPad asking for permission to connect to another device with IP address similar to 10.0.1.2.  Allow connection to this device.



(4) The documents that are stored on your iPad should appear in the web browser page.

(5)  To move files from your Mac to your iPad, click on the "Browse" button at the bottom of the browser page (scroll down to see this button).  You should see a directory of your Mac files.  Select the file you wish to move to your iPad.  The name of that file should now appear next to the "Browse" button at the bottom of the web page.


(6)  Click on "Upload File" button. 

(7)  The file you wish to move should appear in the list of files on the web browser page and should also appear on your iPad.

(8)  You can close the tab in the Browser window when finished moving files.  This will disconnect the Mac and iPad.

You can read the ePub or PDF file directly from the "Documents" app on your iPad, by selecting its icon on your iPad.

Note:  you can also select the file and then select the "share" (up arrow icon) from the upper right hand corner of the iPad screen.  From here, you should see an option to "Open in" where you can then move the file to iBook if you wish.

Read more about Documents by Readdle at website:
http://readdle.com/products/documents/